In the case of automatic and semi-automatic weapons, a detachable magazine is ordinarily used, and this magazine is of course changed when it runs out of ammunition to a fresh full magazine. Ordinarily, there is a notch on the magazine and a spring biased catch of some kind on the magazine holder or guide box so that when the magazine is slapped into the holder, it automatically latches; when empty, the catch is manually retracted against its spring.
Different manufacturers place the magazine holding notch at distances from the firing chamber so that the spring biased magazine catch will not snap into the magazine holding notch unless the catch and notch coincide with the magazine in firing position. Therefore, each manufacturer requires that a user for the firearm will have to use the magazine of the manufacturer, even though two different magazines are otherwise alike and can be interchangeably used except for this feature.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a magazine latching and release member which is multiple in a direction parallel to the direction of the magazine insertion and retraction from the magazine holder so that different magazines, regardless of manufacture, may be used in a single weapon having the holder of this invention. This is particularly useful in police weapons such as sub-machine guns and machine pistols.